How to Fix a Leaking Shower Head
Fixing a leaking shower head starts with one question: does the water stop when the taps do? A short trickle afterwards is normal. A drip that hangs around for hours is water slipping past the wall mixer, and a licensed plumber handles that repair.
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This page sorts the difference for Griffin households, so you know how to fix a leaking shower head without stepping over the licence line. The QBCC allows an unqualified householder one job here, the head itself, and the mixer beyond it is off limits.
Griffin has grown quickly, with area-level numbers showing a 19.8 percent rise in residents between 2020 and 2025. Much of that housing dates from the early 2010s, so original mixers and their seals are well into their second decade, and bathroom drips are cropping up across the suburb.
Is a Dripping Shower Head Normal
Partly. Every shower leaves a small amount of water in the head and arm, and it runs out over the next minute or two once the taps close. That brief trickle is normal and stops on its own.
A drip that persists well past that is not. When water keeps coming after the taps shut, it is getting past a perished seal in the mixer, and the head is simply the exit point.
Watch the pattern for a few hours:
A short trickle after use
leftover water emptying from the fitting. Normal.
Drips hours later or overnight
the mixer cannot shut off its water. A fault.
A handle that sticks or the temperature drifting at the same time
the same cartridge wearing out.
Where a Dripping Shower Head Comes From
Three places produce a drip: the connection between head and arm, the wall mixer, and on a bath-shower set-up, the diverter and spout. Each has its own signature.
The head-to-arm connection
Seepage there while the shower is running points to a loose joint or a perished seal at that point.
The mixer
A drip with the taps off means the mixer cannot close, and a washer or cartridge past its best lets water through. The cartridge sets the flow and the hot-cold blend, so the same wear can show as a stiff handle or showers that run too hot or cold.
The diverter
On a bath-shower set-up, water coming out of the shower while the bath tap is running, or spilling from the spout mid-shower, points to the diverter or a restricted spout.
Scale earns a mention too. Crust can block the spray holes, so water finds other ways out of the head and looks like a leak. The spray pattern going patchy is the clue.
Can You Replace a Shower Head Yourself
Yes, in Queensland you may. The QBCC puts a shower head change on its unregulated list, open to any person with the know-how and skill the job needs, so no plumbing licence applies to that one job.
No sign-off from the state regulator or council is needed, and there is nothing to report. Whatever your licence status, the finished job has to comply with the minimum standards in the plumbing codes.
Two boundaries frame that allowance:
The mixer stays licensed
The unregulated list stops at the head, so a cartridge or valve within the mixer is a job for a QBCC licensee. Fixing or swapping a fitting there is minor work, and no permit or form applies.
The replacement needs its label
Any replacement head sold here has to be registered under the national Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme (WELS) and show its star rating and water-use information wherever it is advertised, online included.
Renters get a small allowance too. On a Queensland rental, the head change is one of only a handful of jobs open without a licensee, while the owner or manager still has to hold the rental in good repair. A tenant has to report needed repairs to the property manager promptly.
When a New Part Does Not Stop the Drip
The seat or the body is the culprit when a drip ignores a new part. A washer closes onto the valve seat and a cartridge seals against the mixer body, so wear in either one defeats any fresh seal fitted.
A licensed plumber checks both. Work on the mixer's internals is minor work for the licensee, and the repair is set out in a fixed quote before starting.
Fitting another part is not the move. If new seals have failed to hold, the mixer itself needs attention, and our shower repairs page covers that job from go to whoa.
Dripping Shower Head Questions
Call (07) 3524 7137Do I need approval to change my own shower head?
No, the head swap is unregulated work, so neither the state regulator nor the council signs off, and there is nothing to report. The work still needs to meet the minimum standards. A new head should also carry its WELS label with the star rating.
Who can replace a shower cartridge in Queensland?
A licensed plumber. The QBCC treats a mixer repair as minor work, which a licensee may do without a permit or a form. The list of jobs open to householders ends at the head, so the mixer side is not yours to touch.
Why does my shower in Griffin still drip after a new cartridge?
The valve seat or the mixer body is worn. Washers seal against the seat and cartridges seal within the body, so a fresh part cannot close off a rough surface. A licensed plumber assesses the mixer and quotes before starting.
What does fixing a leaking shower head cost in Griffin?
The price turns on two things: whether the fault is the head or the wall mixer, and how easy that mixer is to reach. You get a fixed quote before any work starts, so the price is settled before a tool comes out.
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Call (07) 3524 7137 to book a plumber in Griffin. We're available 24/7, with $0 call-out fees, flat-rate pricing and same-day where we can.
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